1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a multiple heat exchanger (heat exchanger module) comprising two or more heat exchangers
2. Description of the Related Art
A heat exchanger such as a radiator or a condenser generally comprises a heat exchange core including a plurality of tubes through which a fluid flows and fins provided on the outer surfaces of the tubes, reinforcement plates for reinforcing the heat exchange core, etc. (for example, refer to Patent document 1).
Conventionally, a heat exchanger is assembled to a vehicle etc. by assembling one end of a metal bracket to a reinforcement plate with a bolt, and the other end of the bracket to the body of the vehicle with a bolt.
Patent Document 1
Japanese Patent Publication No. 3301158
Recently, there is an increasing need for a multiple heat exchanger comprising two or more heat exchangers, in which a condenser of an air conditioner for a vehicle and an oil cooler for cooling engine oil and ATF (automatic transmission fluid) are coupled in a state in which the condenser and the oil cooler are arranged in parallel to the air flow direction, or a radiator for an engine (internal combustion engine) and a radiator for cooling an electric motor for running a vehicle, an inverter circuit for supplying a drive current to the electric motor, etc. are coupled in a state in which both radiators are arranged in parallel to the air flow direction.
The present inventors, as shown in FIG. 29, examined a multiple heat exchanger composed of two heat exchangers coupled by fixing brackets fixed on reinforcement plates. In this multiple heat exchanger, two reinforcement plates 1200 and 1201 and brackets 1202 and 1203 are arranged as a coupling means between a heat exchange core 1002a of a first heat exchanger and a heat exchange core 1003a of a second heat exchanger.
Therefore, as the space between the heat exchange core of the first heat exchanger and the heat exchange core of the second heat exchanger are blocked by the two reinforcement plates and the two brackets, in the case where an additional heat exchanger needs to be arranged at the downstream side of the air flow in the multiple heat exchanger, there is a possibility that a portion of the heat exchange core of the additional heat exchanger arranged at the downstream side corresponding to the space between the heat exchange core of the first heat exchanger and the heat exchange core of the second heat exchanger may not be supplied with air for heat exchange at a sufficient flow-rate.
As a result, the range of a length h0 between the heat exchange core 1002a of the first heat exchanger and the heat exchange core 1003a of the second heat exchanger is a portion of the heat exchange cores 1002a and 1003a, through which no fluid flows, and therefore the portion is a dead space that does not contribute to heat exchange. As the volume of a storage space for a heat exchanger in a vehicle body is limited, if the dead space increases, the areas of the heat exchange cores 1002a and 1003a are relatively reduced and heat exchange capability of the multiple heat exchanger as a whole will decrease. Accordingly, in order to gain the maximum heat exchange capability within the limited storage space, there is a need to reduce this dead space to as small as possible.
As the space between the heat exchange core 1002a of the first heat exchanger and the heat exchange core 1003a of the second heat exchanger are blocked by the two reinforcement plates and the two brackets, in the case where an additional heat exchanger 1004 is arranged at the downstream side of the air flow in the multiple heat exchanger, there is a possibility that a portion of the heat exchange core of the additional heat exchanger 1004 arranged at the downstream side, and corresponding to the space between the heat exchange core 1002a of the first heat exchanger and the heat exchange core 1003a of the second heat exchanger cannot be supplied with air for heat exchange at a sufficient flow-rate.
As shown in FIG. 30, the inventors examined a multiple heat exchanger in which a reinforcement plate 2002d of a first heat exchange core 2002c and a bracket 2010 are fixed with a bolt 2011 and a nut 2011a, and a reinforcement plate 2003d of a second heat exchange core 2003c and a bracket 2010 are fixed with a bolt 2012 and a nut 2012a. 
However, in this multiple heat exchanger under examination, as the bolts 2011 and 2012 penetrate through the reinforcement plates 2002d and 2003d, the sections of which are formed substantially into a laid-down U-shape, and the bracket 2010, the maximum width of the multiple heat exchanger, that is, the maximum size of the portion parallel to the air flow direction in the multiple heat exchanger coincides with the whole length of the bolts 2011 and 2012.
In other words, if the first heat exchange core 2002c and the second heat exchange core 2003c are coupled via the bracket 2010 with bolts, the maximum size of the multiple heat exchanger exceeds the width of the first heat exchange core 2002c or the width of the second heat exchange core 2003c. 
For example, as shown in FIG. 31, if a multiple heat exchanger 2001 and another heat exchanger 2004 are arranged in series in the air flow direction, there is a need to provide a space having a size d in order to prevent interference between the multiple heat exchanger 2001 and the heat exchanger 2004. However, if a maximum width A of the multiple heat exchanger 2001 increases, a width D of the whole heat exchange device including the multiple heat exchanger 2001 and the heat exchanger 2004 increases.
In a vehicle, the heat exchange device including the multiple heat exchanger 2001 and the heat exchanger 2004 is generally mounted on a front end of the vehicle, and if the width D of the heat exchange device increases, it will be difficult to reserve a large space (a crushable zone) to absorb a shock caused by a head-on collision of the vehicle.
Moreover, if the size of the space between the heat exchange cores of the multiple heat exchanger 2001, that is, between the first and second heat exchange cores and the heat exchange cores of the heat exchanger 2004 increases, there is a possibility that air having passed through the heat exchange core at the upstream side of the air flow may flow through the space between the heat exchange core at the upstream side of the air flow and the heat exchange core at the downstream side of the air flow, in other words, the air may flow through the space between the heat exchange core of the multiple heat exchanger 2001 and the heat exchange core of the heat exchanger 2004, flowing downstream while skirting the heat exchange core at the downstream side of the air flow.
In other words, if the space between the heat exchange core of the multiple heat exchanger 2001 and the heat exchange core of the heat exchanger 2004 increases, the flow rate of air to be supplied to the heat exchange core at the downstream side of the air flow will decrease and, therefore, the capability of the heat exchanger at the downstream side of the air flow will decrease.